Dr Victoria Grace Walden and Dr Kate Marrison of the Sussex Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies, University of Sussex will be joined by an expanded team from the summer of 2024 to launch a new 5-year project funded by the Alfred Landecker Foundation. Awarded 4,100,000 Euros, Dr Walden will lead the Landecker Digital Memory Lab: Connective Holocaust Commemoration which is dedicated to enhancing the sustainability of digital Holocaust memory. The lab will sit across both the Weidenfeld Institute and the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab, benefiting from the rich research culture of both.
Alongside the production of original research, the Lab’s activities will include:
- the development of a ‘living database’, which will preserve recordings of digital projects dedicated to Holocaust memory complemented by interviews with professionals involved in their development and use at Holocaust sites (from programmers and designers to curators and educators). The ‘living database’ aims to help Holocaust memory and education institutions across the world learn from historical digital practice by providing the first database and archive of digital works in this field.
- a new online journal dedicated to digital Holocaust memory with an international editorial board designed to promote interdisciplinary and inter-sector dialogues across digital spaces.
- a suite of free Career Professional Development programmes for Holocaust professionals and their creative partners focused on AI and machine learning; virtual and augmented technologies; computer games; social media and other digital topics tailored for the needs of those working with the type of sensitive historical material related to this past.
- a series of innovation initiatives across Europe, bringing together heritage, creative and tech professionals, and academics to design digital solutions to sector-wide challenges.
- Free consultancy and mentoring support for digital Holocaust memory projects at any stage.
- three international conferences.
Our in-person events will be co-hosted with projects partners from across the continent.
The Lab’s objectives build upon the work Dr Walden led during the Covid-19 lockdowns, hosting online events and writing public blogs on www.digitalholocaustmemory.com, the recommendations reports on which she, Dr Marrison and a number of external partners collaborated, and initial walkthroughs and interviews recorded across Europe and the US in 2022.
Over the coming months, you will see your branding shift from ‘DHM’ and ‘The Digital Holocaust Memory Project’ to the ‘Landecker Digital Memory Lab’. We will also be leading a series of launch events:
- April 11th – ‘How can we ensure the preservation of Holocaust Memory in the Digital Age?‘ Public Lecture at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, followed by keynote ‘Towards a Sustainable Future for Digital Holocaust Memory’ at the symposium ‘Preserving History in the Digital Age’ on April 14th.
- May 8th – Regional Impact Day: ‘Digital Holocaust Memory: An impact journey from blogging to launching a global innovation lab’ – a presentation for academic researchers at the University of Sussex.
- May 28th – ‘Imagine Digital Holocaust Memory Futures with us!‘ – a presentation as part of the Landecker programme at Re:publica digital festival, Berlin.
- June 5th – ‘Policy and Funding Sustainable Interventions in Digital Holocaust Memory and Education’ – a workshop for policymakers and funders in the UK.
- July 18th/19th – ‘Launching a Digital Holocaust Memory Innovation Lab’ – a workshop with professionals from Latin American Holocaust organisations as part of the Memory Studies Association’s annual conference, Lima, Peru.
The donation from the Landecker Foundation is their largest grant to date in the field of Holocaust remembrance and we are profoundly grateful for their support which will take our research to the next level.
About our funders:
The Alfred Landecker Foundation was established in Berlin in 2019. Its purpose is to remember the Holocaust, fight antisemitism and defend democracy. This becomes all the more challenging in light of the tectonic shifts brought about by the digital revolution.
In order to protect our institutions, strengthen critical judgement and promote a culture of remembrance, the Alfred Landecker Foundation brings together and promotes a global network of academics and active civil society.